A. Professional Development Program

A. Professional Development Program

Faculty Senate Bill 11-A-21 begins here.

The University utilizes a multi-faceted professional development program to serve
the professional aspirations of the individual faculty member, as well as the instructional
and programmatic needs of the University in its service to students. Elements of this
program include opportunities for funding for professional development activities
of the individual faculty member, participation in other institutional grant programs,
and several different types of professional leave. These opportunities are described
below.

Individual Professional Development Program

The Faculty Tenure and Promotion Policy requires that a one-time individual professional
development allocation be awarded to a faculty member who receives promotion or post-professorial
merit. These funds are to be used by the faculty member to support his/her professional
development activities broadly construed, subject to the conventional university and
state financial procedures.

Department Level Professional Development Program

Each academic year funds are allocated to every academic department on a full-time-equivalent
basis to help individual faculty members defray the costs of their professional development
activities, including attending professional meetings. Each department will establish
procedures for the distribution of these funds, subject to the conventional university
and state financial procedures.

College Level Professional Development Program

The Faculty Development Program at the college level exists to provide support and
opportunity for faculty members to realize their potential and to improve the quality
and effectiveness of the total educational effort of the University. To this purpose
the Provost will allocate a specific sum of money to each college at or near the beginning
of each fiscal year to support the professional needs of the faculty. The funds will
be made available according to the “College Level Professional Development Procedures.”

Other Institutional Professional Development Support

The University may maintain a variety of internal grant opportunities for faculty
to fund certain specified activities or goals. The eligibility requirements, funding
levels, and application and selection procedures shall be determined by the granting
entity.

On occasion, a faculty member may be offered a release from part of his or her usual
teaching load in order to pursue approved development goals. These arrangements are
typically negotiated on an ad hoc basis.

Sabbatical Leave Program

As an institution of higher education, the University is committed to maintaining
a quality learning environment in which faculty and students can develop skills and
ideas, acquire knowledge, and engage in creative activities covering a wide range
of disciplines and fields. As an expression of this commitment, the University provides
a sabbatical leave program for tenured faculty to enhance their professional competence
and the total teaching/learning environment. The sabbatical leave, therefore, represents
a dual investment--an investment of time and expertise on the part of the individual
faculty member and a financial investment by the University--which promises to result
in improved teaching, enriched programs, and the advancement of knowledge and creative
activity at the University.

Sabbatical PurposesA sabbatical leave may be granted tenured faculty for the purpose of professional
advancement. A sabbatical leave is not automatic; rather, it is awarded on the basis
of professional need and accomplishment. The leave provides a means for improving
teaching or instructional programs, engaging in research or writing for publication,
pursuing creative activities, developing programs directly related to institutional
needs, or exploring alternative career patterns. Sabbatical requests require prior
joint faculty/administrative endorsement.

Because of the diversity of fields and disciplines within the University, it is possible
to define a wide range of activities that constitute legitimate use of a sabbatical
leave. Such activities may include, but are not limited to, the completion of books,
monographs, or articles; completion of creative projects; professional travel, study
or other work contributing to projects already underway; development of new instructional
programs; extensive revision of existing programs; post-doctoral experiences and study;
and advanced preparation for academic respecialization. If the respecialization is
administratively prompted, it is assumed that a majority of those costs would come
from outside the sabbatical program funds. A sabbatical leave is not to be used for
work toward the completion of an advanced degree.

Definition of Sabbatical LeaveA sabbatical leave is a leave of absence taken for a full academic year at one-half
salary plus one-half the maximum elective contribution for the Family Medical Care
Plan under Southeast Missouri State University's Cafeteria Plan or for one semester
at full salary. The base salary is that which would have been forthcoming in the year
of the sabbatical. While on sabbatical leave, the faculty member is an employee of
the University and will receive all benefits due to faculty who are regularly employed.
Faculty on sabbatical leave will receive their salaries in regular payments, as they
would if they were normally employed.

Since it is essential to maintain the integrity of programs and offerings at the University,
arrangements must be made to compensate for the absence of faculty members on sabbatical
leave.

Eligibility requirements, application and selection processes, and related procedural
provisions shall be set out in the “Sabbatical Leave Procedures.”

Other Leaves

In addition to sabbatical leaves, there are other types of leaves which may be available
to the faculty member. In most cases, these leaves will permit the faculty member
to take advantage of professional development and/or other types of personal enrichment
opportunities. These leaves are of two main types:

Leave Without Compensation

A faculty member on this type of leave receives no salary, but will be given the opportunity
to continue under the University benefits package by compensating the institution
for the costs of continuing coverage, subject to the terms of existing University
policy on faculty compensation. The faculty member may apply for and receive faculty
development funds in accordance with conventional college procedures.

Leave With Compensation

A faculty member on this type of leave receives salary, benefits, and/or other compensation,
the amount of which is determined through the deliberative process which awards the
leave. This type of leave entails a teaching and/or financial commitment, the nature
of which is also determined through that deliberative process. These leaves are of
two types:

Leave To Complete Appropriate Terminal DegreeIn certain circumstances, leave with compensation will be awarded to a faculty member
to facilitate his/her completion of the appropriate terminal degree. These leaves
will only be available to faculty hired in fields where market forces make it unlikely
that a candidate with similar qualifications or characteristics and with the terminal
degree can be hired.

Leave To Pursue Other Professional Development OpportunitiesIn certain circumstances, other professional development opportunities may be presented
to the faculty member which are unique in their value to that person and the University;
or which have such time constraints as to justify treating them outside the framework
of the conventional sabbatical leave policy. Leaves may be awarded to support faculty
pursuit of these opportunities. Procedures regarding these Other Leaves shall be set
out in the “Faculty Leave Program Procedures.”

Faculty Senate Bill 11-A-24 begins here.

Faculty Leave Program Procedures:

In all cases, it is essential that the temporary absence of a faculty member on leave
not unreasonably compromise the quality of educational programs. The determination
of the impact of the absence of a faculty member will be made by that person's department,
as qualitative judgments regarding the program are most suitably made by those within
that discipline. If an applicant's department agrees that appropriate measures can
be taken to ensure that the absence of the applicant will not unreasonably compromise
the quality of the program, the application can go forward. If the department determines
that the absence of the applicant cannot be reasonably compensated for, the application
will be denied and will not go forward.

Decisions regarding allocation of faculty resources among departments are normally
made by the dean and the Provost. If they agree that sufficient resources are available
to provide for overloads, part-time or term instructors, or other means the department
feels necessary to reasonably maintain the quality of a department's program during
the leave of a faculty member, the application shall go forward for action by the
President and/or Board of Regents as necessary. It is understood that a lack of sufficient
resources may be reason for a department to withdraw its approval of a leave application.

A faculty member applying for a leave shall be given a timely written response to
that request from the appropriate individual(s) or group(s) considering the request.
A faculty member applying for a leave to pursue a terminal degree must have a written
educational plan approved by the appropriate parties in accordance with the requirements
of the section of the Faculty Handbook on Faculty Professional Responsibilities. Procedures contain portions of:Faculty Senate Bill 93-A-1, approved by Faculty Senate
January 27, 1993Amended by Faculty Senate Bill 11-A-24, approved by Faculty Senate
April 20, 2011, by President April 20, 2011, Posted for 15 Day Review April 2011

Professional Travel

When conducted under the auspices of the University, faculty professional travel will
follow established procedures, maintained here (hyperlink).